Road Accidents Will Decrease

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 111, 3 February 1934, Page 18

Road Accidents Will Decrease

As We Develop “Traffic Reflexes”

Lord Moynihan. Hie famous physician lias brought forward a brave theory Briefly, he says that the number of road accidents will grow loss and loss as time passes. When one thinks of the relentless increase in the number of casualties in nearly all countries, this idea seems very daring. But the root idea of Lord Moynihan’s theory is that the mechanism of tlie human mind, which lor centuries was used only to horse-drawn traffic, will in time adapt itself to the higher speeds of the motor-ear. We shall develop “motor traffic ’reflexes” which will condition our movements —so that we are not caught unawares, nor estimate wronglv the rate of the oncoming bus. nor stand and "dither” in front of ■i sti'ditly wobbling baby car. Lord Moynihan lias been studying (lie subject' recently, and spoke in the

House of Lords a few days ago on his Road Traffic (Emergency Treatment) Bill. "It is not the pedestrian Who is to blame: it is not the motorist who is to blame. If is the fact (hat a new scientific invention has come to people who are at ‘present unprepared for its reception.' ” An analysis of the latest ro. . casualties figure’s for Great Britain tends to prove Lord Moynihan’s statement. Out of IGG4 pedestrian eases 668 were due directly to misjudging fast moving traffic, or hesitating in the roadway. Also the most dangetous ages at present are shown to be belou ten years and over sixty. In the former cases, the children have not yet had lime to be “conditioned and in the latter eases. the e'dcrly people’s reflexes have become slower in their action.—Reuter — Special to The Dominion."